Resealable plastic bag with die cut handles and a reclosable zipper incorporating an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a resealable bag including a single sheet of bag-forming material folded over on itself and bonded along periphery edges to form a front panel, a back panel and a gusseted bottom panel therebetween. Each of the front and back panels has a lower portion with bonded periphery edges and an upper portion with un-bonded periphery edges. Each of the upper portions of the front and back panel include a handle aperture formed therein. The resealable bag also includes a zipper closure having interlocking male and female parts disposed on respective inside surfaces of top edges of the lower portions of the front and back panels, and an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment straddling the interlocking male and female parts where the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment is operable to separate and to couple the male and female interlocking parts as the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment moves.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to plastic bags, and more particularly to a resealable plastic bag with die cut handles for carrying the bag and a reclosable zipper incorporating an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Plastic bags are in widespread use in a variety of domestic, commercial and industrial applications, but most particularly with regard to the storage of food items. Many of the currently-available plastic bags incorporate an integral or secondarily applied press-to-close zipper to form a “press-to-close zipper bag”. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,094 to Ausnit discloses a reclosable plastic bag with an oscillating grip strip. Some of the press-to-close zipper bags further include an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment for ease of opening and reclosing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,713,152 to Chen et al. discloses fins and profiles with a slider fitment for opening and reclosing plastic bags. Other press-to-close zipper bags further include integrated handles cut from the plastic sheets forming the top sides of the bag and the zip closure. Moreover, heavily reinforced gusseted press-to-close zipper bags intended for very heavy loads typically include a loop handle attached to the opposing sides of the bag. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,839 discloses a resealable flexible plastic bag with a loop handle.

Unfortunately, press-to-close zipper bags that include only the integrated handles do not provide the ease of opening and reclosing afforded by an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment, while press-to-close zipper bags that include only an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment do not provide the ease of carrying provided by the integrated handles.

Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a new and improved flexible plastic bag, incorporating both a reclosable zipper and die-cut handle(s).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is generally directed to a resealable flexible plastic bag with a resealable zipper closure comprising a pair of interlocking male and female parts with an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment to facilitate easy opening and reclosing, as well as opposing plastic sheets extending upward from the sides of the bag above the zipper closure that include identical opposing apertures to be used as handles for carrying the resealable bag.

In one embodiment, the resealable bag includes a single sheet of bag-forming material folded over on itself and bonded along a portion of periphery edges to form a front panel, a back panel and a gusseted bottom panel therebetween. Each of the front and back panels has a lower portion with bonded periphery edges and an upper portion with un-bonded periphery edges. Each of the upper portions of the front and back panel include a handle aperture formed therein. The resealable bag also includes a zipper closure having an interlocking male part disposed on the inside surface proximate to a top edge of the lower portion of the front panel and an interlocking female part disposed on the inside surface and proximate to a top edge of the lower portion of the back panel such that each of the upper portions of the front and back panel extend upward from the interlocking male part and the interlocking female part, respectively, and an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment straddling the interlocking male and female parts where the slider fitment includes a separating guide finger descending downward from the transverse portion of the slider fitment and is operable to separate the male and female interlocking portions as the slider fitment moves in a first direction, and to couple the male and female interlocking portions as the slider fitment moves in a second direction.

In another embodiment, the resealable bag includes a single sheet of bag-forming material folded over on itself and bonded along a portion of periphery edges to form a front panel, a back panel and a gusseted bottom panel therebetween, a zipper closure having an interlocking male part disposed on an inside surface proximate to a top edge of the front panel and an interlocking female part disposed on an inside surface and proximate to a top edge of the back panel. The resealable bag also includes an auxiliary plastic slider straddling the interlocking male and female parts where the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment includes a separating guide finger descending downward from the transverse portion of the slider fitment and is operable to separate the interlocking male and female portions as the slider fitment moves in a first direction and to couple the interlocking male and female portions as the slider fitment moves in a second direction, and first and second extension panels of bag-forming material bonded to an outside top edge portion of the front and back panels respectively where each of the first and second extension panels extend upwardly from the interlocking male and female parts respectively and have a handle aperture formed therein.

In yet another embodiment, the resealable bag includes a single sheet of bag-forming material folded over on itself and bonded along a portion of periphery edges to form a front panel, a back panel and a gusseted bottom panel therebetween where each of the front and back panel has a lower portion with bonded periphery edges and an upper portion with a transverse fold forming a double layer of bag-forming material in an upper portion of the resealable bag and each of the upper portions of the front and back panel has a handle aperture formed therein. The resealable bag also includes a zipper closure having an interlocking male part disposed on an inside surface proximate to a top edge of the lower portion of the front panel and an interlocking female part disposed on an inside surface and proximate to a top edge of the lower portion of the back panel such that each of the upper portions of the front and back panel extend upward from the interlocking male and female parts, respectively, and an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment straddling the interlocking male and female parts. The auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment includes a separating guide finger descending downward from the transverse portion of the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment and is operable to separate the interlocking male and female parts as the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment moves in a first direction and to couple the interlocking male and female parts as the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment moves in a second direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reclosable bag having integral handles according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an upper side sectional view of the reclosable bag of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, the preferred embodiment is described herein by way of example. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular form disclosed, but is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims

Referring first to FIG. 1, the present invention will be described in its preferred embodiment with reference to a resealable bag 1 constructed from a single bag-forming material such as a single flexible plastic sheet 2 folded upon itself to form a front panel 3, an opposing back panel 4 and a gusseted bottom panel 5 therebetween. The resealable bag 1 is preferably heat-sealed or bonded using one of any number of suitable means along a first side peripheral edge 6 and second side peripheral edge 7.

Alternatively, the resealable bag 1 of the present invention may be constructed of 1) a single flexible plastic sheet folded upon itself to form a side edge and heat-sealed or otherwise bonded along the open bottom edge and opposite side edge, or 2) first and second opposing flexible plastic sheets heat-sealed or otherwise attached to each other along their side and lower edges.

The resealable bag 1 also includes a resealable zipper closure 8 extending across the upper edge of the bag, formed using an interlocking male part 9 and an interlocking female part 10. FIG. 2 is an upper side sectional view of FIG. 1 showing the interlocking male and female parts 9, 10 with depending first and second flanges 23 and 24, respectively. The depending first and second flanges 23, 24 are correspondingly heat-sealed at a first location 27 and a second location 28 to the inner sides of the reclosable bag 1. Alternatively, the depending first and second flanges 23, 24 of their respective interlocking male and female parts 9, 10 may be heat-sealed or otherwise fixedly connected to the outer sides of the reclosable bag 1, or the interlocking male and female parts 9, 10 may be integrally formed from the same plastic sheet or sheets as the opposing front panel 3 and the opposing back panel 4 of the reclosable bag 1. Further, the interlocking male and female parts 9, 10 may also be formed from separately-extruded strips attached to the front panel 3 and the opposing back panel 4 is a suitable location enabling easy opening and reclosing.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the resealable bag 1 further includes an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment 11 straddling the interlocking male and female parts 9 and 10. The slider fitment 11 is easily graspable and movable across the interlocking male and female parts 9, 10 in a first direction to open the bag 1, and in an opposite second direction to reclose the bag 1. The slider fitment 11 includes a separating guide finger 12 descending downward from the transverse portion of the slider 11, and operable to separate the interlocking male and female parts 9, 10 to open the bag as the slider 11 moves in the first direction. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, FIG. 1 depicts one possible configuration of the slider fitment 11, however other configurations are possible.

Finally, as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reclosable bag 1 includes a first handle 13 and a second opposing handle 14, or first and second extension panels of bag-forming material. In an embodiment, the first and second handles 13, 14 are cut from separate plastic sheets and are heat-sealed at respective first and second locations 27 and 28 to the outer edges of the reclosable bag 1 just beneath and across the length of the interlocking male and female parts 9, 10. Opposing identical first and second handle apertures 15, 16 are die-cut into the opposing first and second handles 13, 14. In one embodiment, the first and second handles 13, 14 are preferably constructed of a double-ply plastic. Alternatively, the first and second handles 13, 14 may be single-ply and/or may be fixedly attached to only one outer edge of the bag. The handle or handles may also be cut from a single piece of plastic sheet forming the body of the reclosable bag 10.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the two plastic panels forming the first and second handles 13, 14 are bonded (e.g., heat-sealed) to the reclosable bag 1 at a first end portion 17 and an opposite second end portion 18 of the zipper closure 8, and the handle apertures 15, 16 are partially severed from the first and second end portions 17, 18 at a first end location 19 and a second end location 20 to enable easy access to the zipper closure 8 and the opening of the bag. The sealed end portions also assist in coupling the interlocking male and female parts 9, 10 together, thereby providing the zipper closure 8 with additional strength and preventing the slider fitment 11 from moving beyond the end of the zipper closure.

As may be apparent from the above discussion, the reclosable bag 1 provides a significant advantage over the prior art because it combines the ease and efficacy of a slider zipper closure with the convenience and relative cost-efficiency of die-cut handles. 

1. A resealable bag comprising: a single sheet of bag-forming material folded over on itself and bonded along a portion of periphery edges to form a front panel, a back panel and a gusseted bottom panel therebetween, each of the front panel and the back panel having a lower portion with bonded periphery edges and an upper portion with un-bonded periphery edges, each of the upper portions of the front and back panel having a handle aperture formed therein; a zipper closure having an interlocking male part disposed on the inside surface proximate to a top edge of the lower portion of the front panel and an interlocking female part disposed on the inside surface and proximate to a top edge of the lower portion of the back panel such that each of the upper portions of the front and back panel extend upward from the interlocking male part and the interlocking female part, respectively; and an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment straddling the interlocking male and female parts, the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment including a separating guide finger descending downward from the transverse portion of the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment and operable to separate the male and female interlocking parts as the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment moves in a first direction and to couple the male and female interlocking parts as the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment moves in a second direction.
 2. The resealable bag of claim 1, wherein each of the handle apertures of the front and back panels comprise die cut handles.
 3. The resealable bag of claim 1, wherein the single sheet of bag-forming material comprises a plastic material.
 4. The resealable bag of claim 1, further comprising: a first reinforcing sheet of bag-forming material bonded to the upper portion of the front panel, the first reinforcing sheet including a corresponding handle formed therein; and a second reinforcing sheet of bag-forming material bonded to the upper portion of the back panel, the second reinforcing sheet including a corresponding handle formed therein, each of the first and second reinforcing sheets of bag-forming material reinforcing the front and back panels proximate to the handle apertures.
 5. The resealable bag of claim 1, further comprising at least one image disposed on at least one of the front and back panels.
 6. The resealable bag of claim 5, wherein the at least one image is related to items suitable for containment in the resealabale bag.
 7. A resealable bag comprising: a single sheet of bag-forming material folded over on itself and bonded along a portion of periphery edges to form a front panel, a back panel and a gusseted bottom panel therebetween; a zipper closure having an interlocking male part disposed on an inside surface proximate to a top edge of the front panel and an interlocking female part disposed on an inside surface and proximate to a top edge of the back panel; an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment straddling the interlocking male and female parts, the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment including a separating guide finger descending downward from the transverse portion of the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment and operable to separate the interlocking male and female parts as the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment moves in a first direction and to couple the interlocking male and female parts as the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment moves in a second direction; and first and second extension panels of bag-forming material bonded to an outside top edge portion of the front and back panels respectively, each of the first and second extension panels extending upward from the interlocking male and female parts respectively and having a handle aperture formed therein.
 8. The resealable bag of claim 7, wherein each of the first and second handles are partially severed from respective outside top edge portions of the front and back panels to enable easy access to the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment.
 9. The resealable bag of claim 7, wherein each of the handle apertures of the first and second extension panels comprise die cut handles.
 10. The resealable bag of claim 7, wherein the single sheet of bag-forming material comprises a single-ply plastic sheet, and wherein the first and second extension panels comprise a double-ply plastic material.
 11. The resealable bag of claim 7, further comprising at least one image disposed on at least one of the front and back panels.
 12. The resealable bag of claim 11, wherein the at least one image is related to items suitable for containment in the resealabale bag.
 13. A resealable bag comprising: a single sheet of bag-forming material folded over on itself and bonded along a portion of periphery edges to form a front panel, a back panel and a gusseted bottom panel therebetween, each of the front and back panel having a lower portion with bonded periphery edges and an upper portion having a transverse fold forming a double layer of bag-forming material in the upper portions of the front and back panel, each of the upper portions of the front and back panel having a handle aperture formed therein; a zipper closure having an interlocking male part disposed on an inside surface proximate to a top edge of the lower portion of the front panel and an interlocking female part disposed on an inside surface and proximate to a top edge of the lower portion of the back panel such that each of the upper portions of the front and back panel extend upward from the interlocking male and female parts, respectively; and an auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment straddling the interlocking male and female parts, the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment including a separating guide finger descending downward from the transverse portion of the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment and operable to separate the interlocking male and female parts as the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment moves in a first direction and to couple the interlocking male and female parts as the auxiliary molded plastic slider fitment moves in a second direction.
 14. The resealable bag of claim 13, wherein each of the handle apertures of the upper portions of the front and back panel comprise die cut handles.
 15. The resealable bag of claim 13, wherein the single sheet of bag-forming material comprises a thermoplastic material.
 16. The resealable bag of claim 13, wherein the double-layer of bag-forming material of the upper portion of each of the front and back panels is bonded along side periphery edges extending downward from respective transverse folds.
 17. The resealable bag of claim 13, further comprising at least one image disposed on at least one of the front and back panels.
 18. The resealable bag of claim 13, wherein the at least one image is related to items suitable for containment in the resealable bag. 